Vehicle-shaft.



PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908. G. F. SKELTON .VEHIGLE SHAFT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1906.

WITNESSES:

GEORGE F. SKELTON, OF WABASSO, MINNESOTA.

VEHICLE-SHAFT. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. SKELTO a citizen of the United States,residing at Wabasso, in the county of Redwood and State of Minnesota,have invented new and useful Vehicle-Shafts, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has relation to vehicle shafts and it consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter shown anddescribed.

The object of the invention is to provide means by which the shafts of'avehicle, and more especially of a buggy, may be located at one side ofthe center of the vehicle so that the horse may walk in the track formedby one of the two horses when a team is used and thus avoid the usuallyrough and unpleasant ridge formed in the middle of a wagon road.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device with meansfor the prevention of side draft upon the vehicle.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a top plan view of the shafts,and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the same cut on the'line2, 2 of Fig. 1.

The shafts 1, 1 are fixed at their rear endsv to the cross bar 2, one ofthe said shafts being attached to the end of the said cross bar whilethe other shaft is attached to the said cross bar at a point near itsopposite end. The bow-irons 3, 3 are connected at their forward endswith the cross bar 2, one of the said irons being connected with the endof thesaid cross bar 2 opposite to that end thereof to which the shaftis attached while the end of the other bow-iron 3 is connected with thecross bar 2 at a point between the points of connection of the saidshaft with the said cross bar. Braces 4, 4 extend between the shafts 1and the cross bar 2 while the bowirons 3 are provided with the braces 5.The lever 6 is fulcrumed to the cross bar 2, said lever having arearwardly extending fulcrum end 7 and a rearwardly inclined end 8. The

' link 9 attaches at one end to the end 8 of the lever 6 and at itsother end is connected with the end of one of the bow irons 3 as at 10.The swingle tree 1 1 is mounted upon the lever Specification of LettersPatent.

,, Application filed November 80, 1906.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Serial No. 345,827.

6 and may be adjusted laterally along the same by reason of'perforations12 provided in the lever 6which are adapted to receive the pivot bolt 13of the said tree.

From the foregoing descri tion it is obvious that shafts are providewhich are disposed to one side of the line of draft of the vehicle andconsequently permit the draft animal to follow the beaten track in theroad while the wheels of the vehicle may run in the wheel ruts. Also byreason of the eculiar arrangement of the various parts side draft of thevehicle is revented and the tree may be shifted latera y with relationto the shafts inorder to even the strain upon the draft animal.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters- Patent is The combination with the shafts and cross bar, oneof said shafts being attached to one end of said bar and the other shaftsecured to the bar at an intermediate point thereof, bow irons connectedwith said cross bar, one at a point between the shafts and the other atone end of the cross bar, a lever having its intermediate portiondisposed parallel with and spaced from the cross bar and one end thereofprovided with an angular extension having a pivotal connection with thecross bar at a point between the bow irons, the other end of the leverextending diagonally across and beyond said bar, there being a pluralityof perforations formed in the intermediate portion of the lever, a linkforming a ivotalconnection between the free end of the Fever and the endof one of the bow irons, a swingle tree pivotally mounted on theintermediate ortion of the lever, and a bolt extending t rough theswingle tree and one of the perforations in the lever and forming thepivotal axis of said swingle tree.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. sKELToN.

Witnesses:

PAUL A. CALLAGHAN, K. D. BENNET.

